Asheville, North Carolina, had an estimated 93,523 residents on July 1, 2025. The city’s population profile also includes a 2020 Census count of 94,589, a median age of 40.7 years, 37,394 households and a median household income of $71,102 in 2024 dollars. Together, these measures describe a city whose leadership challenges involve population change, aging, housing costs, economic participation and access to services.
Contents
- Population size and change
- Age and sex profile
- Race, ethnicity and birthplace
- Households and housing
- Education, health, work and income
- Geography, commerce and commuting
- How to read these measures
Population size and change
The U.S. Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 population estimate for Asheville was 93,523 people. The Census Bureau reports an April 1, 2020 population-estimate base of 94,738, followed by a -1.3% change from that base to July 1, 2025. These are population estimates, not a new decennial enumeration. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, July 1, 2025 and April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025)
The decennial Census counted 94,589 people in 2020, compared with 83,393 in 2010. That is an increase of 11,196 people between the two Census counts, while the later estimate shows a modest decline from the 2020 estimates base. The figures should be read as separate products with distinct measurement dates. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, April 1, 2010 and April 1, 2020)
| Measure | Population | Measurement date or period |
|---|---|---|
| Census count | 83,393 | April 1, 2010 |
| Census count | 94,589 | April 1, 2020 |
| Population-estimate base | 94,738 | April 1, 2020 |
| Population estimate | 93,523 | July 1, 2025 |
For community planning, the distinction matters. The 2010 and 2020 values are decennial counts; the 94,738 and 93,523 values are an estimates base and a later population estimate. QuickFacts combines Census Bureau programs and vintages, so these periods should not be treated as though they came from one survey.
Age and sex profile
Asheville’s age distribution includes 4.1% of residents under age 5 and 14.8% under age 18. Residents age 65 and over represented 20.1% of the population. Females represented 51.2%. These percentages are ACS 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
The median age was 40.7 years in the ACS 2020–2024 estimate. The ACS also estimated 23,863 residents age 60 and over and a total Asheville population of 94,535 for that period. Those measures come from the Census Bureau’s S0102: Population 60 Years and Over subject table, rather than from the 2020 decennial count. (S0102: Population 60 Years and Over in the United States, Asheville city, North Carolina — 2024: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, 2020–2024)
The combination of a 20.1% share age 65 and over, 23,863 residents age 60 and over, and a median age above 40 provides useful context for decisions involving accessible housing, health services, transportation and intergenerational participation. The figures describe population structure; they do not by themselves measure demand for any particular program.
Race, ethnicity and birthplace
QuickFacts reported the following race and ethnicity measures for Asheville for 2020–2024:
- White-alone residents: 80.3%.
- Black or African American-alone residents: 8.2%.
- American Indian and Alaska Native-alone residents: 0.2%.
- Asian-alone residents: 1.1%.
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-alone residents: 0.1%.
- Residents identifying with two or more races: 7.9%.
- Hispanic or Latino residents: 6.6%.
- White residents who were not Hispanic or Latino: 79.8%.
The race-alone categories are mutually exclusive as reported by QuickFacts. Hispanic or Latino residents may be of any race, so that measure should not be added to the race-alone percentages as a separate, mutually exclusive category. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Asheville had 4,529 veterans, and foreign-born residents represented 7.0% of the population. These measures add dimensions to the city’s community profile: veteran status and place of birth identify populations that may have distinct civic, service, language or inclusion needs. They are not measures of current citizenship, immigration status or service utilization. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Households and housing
Asheville had 37,394 households and averaged 2.43 persons per household in the ACS 2020–2024 measures. The owner-occupied housing unit rate was 51.9%, while the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $440,000. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Housing costs varied by tenure and mortgage status. Median monthly owner costs with a mortgage were $1,886. For owners without a mortgage, median monthly owner costs were $614. Asheville’s median gross rent was $1,402 per month. These are medians for the stated period, not recommended budgets or current asking prices. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Residential stability was also measured: 84.4% of Asheville residents age 1 and over lived in the same house one year earlier. This statistic does not mean that 84.4% remained in the same neighborhood or had the same housing costs; it describes residence in the same house one year earlier. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
For community leadership, these measures place household size, ownership, rent and housing value in the same frame. They can help describe the city’s housing landscape, but they do not identify the causes of housing costs or show the distribution of costs among neighborhoods and income groups.
Education, health, work and income
Digital access was widespread but not universal. Households with a computer represented 92.8% of Asheville households, and households with a broadband Internet subscription represented 90.5%. A language other than English was spoken at home by 9.3% of residents age 5 and over. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Educational attainment was high on the reported measures. Among residents age 25 and over, 94.1% were high school graduates or higher, while 53.4% held a bachelor’s degree or higher. These percentages refer to different attainment thresholds within the same age-25-and-over population. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Health-related indicators show additional needs. Among residents under age 65, 10.6% had a disability and 14.6% lacked health insurance. The civilian labor-force participation rate for the population age 16 and over was 61.8%; for females age 16 and over, it was 56.3%. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Asheville’s median household income was $71,102 in 2024 dollars. Per-capita income in the past 12 months was $45,430 in 2024 dollars, and people in poverty represented 14.3% of the population. Median household income describes households, while per-capita income describes income per person; neither should be read as the income of a typical individual household member. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
Geography, commerce and commuting
Asheville’s population density was 2,080.2 people per square mile in 2020, compared with 1,855.9 people per square mile in 2010. Reported land area was 45.47 square miles in 2020 and 44.93 square miles in 2010. Density and land-area values are tied to the stated Census years and should not be used as a current estimate without a matching geographic and measurement basis. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2010 and 2020)
Reported 2022 business measures show the scale of several sectors:
- Retail sales totaled $4,582,683,000, or $48,744 per capita.
- Health-care and social-assistance receipts or revenue totaled $3,993,893,000.
- Accommodation and food-services sales totaled $1,359,582,000.
- Transportation and warehousing receipts or revenue totaled $175,704,000.
These are sector-specific 2022 measures. Retail sales per capita is a reported measure of sales relative to population, not household income or resident spending. Receipts, revenue and sales use the labels supplied by QuickFacts and should not be combined into one citywide economic total. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2022)
The mean travel time to work for Asheville workers age 16 and over was 18.2 minutes in the ACS 2020–2024 estimate. This is a mean for workers, not a median, and it does not describe travel time for residents who do not commute to work. (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Asheville city, North Carolina, 2020–2024)
How to read these measures
The Asheville figures combine decennial Census counts, population estimates, QuickFacts indicators and ACS 5-year survey estimates. The ACS measures for 2020–2024 are survey estimates, while the 2010 and 2020 decennial values are Census counts and the July 1, 2025 value is a population estimate. The ACS S0102 total population of 94,535 is an ACS estimate, not a new decennial count. (S0102: Population 60 Years and Over in the United States, Asheville city, North Carolina — 2024: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, 2020–2024)
The scope is Asheville city, North Carolina, unless a measure explicitly names another geography or population. Measurement dates and periods are therefore essential: a 2022 sales figure, a 2020 density figure, a 2020–2024 ACS estimate and a July 1, 2025 population estimate answer different questions. Keeping those distinctions visible makes the statistics more useful for community leadership, planning and public discussion.